1 John ii. 28. Little children, abide in Christ, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. iii. 21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confi dence towards God. v. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us. CXXXI. Confidence in God, a security against the fear of evil from man. Gen. xv. 1. God said to Abraham fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. xxvi. 24. The Lord said to Isaac fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee. Lev. xxvi. 3. If ye walk in my statutes. Ver. 26. None shall make you afraid. Job. xi. 14, 15, 19. Ezek. xxxiv. 28.-xxxix. 26. Deut. i. 17. Ye shall not be afraid of the face of man. Ver 20. The Lord your God shall fight for you. Ver. 30. 2 Kings vi. 16. The man of God said, fear not, for they that be with us be more than they that be with them. Job v. 21. Neither shalt thou be afraid for destruction when it cometh. Ver. 22. Ch. xi. 14, 15. Ps. iii. 5. The Lord sustained me, I will not be afraid of thousands set against me. Ps. xxvii. 3. xxiii. 4. I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. xxxiv. 4. The Lord delivered me from all my fears.. xlvi. 2. I will not fear though the earth be removed. Ver. 7. The Lord of hosts is with me. Ivi. 3, 4. In God have I put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Heb. xiii. 6. xci. 5., Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow by day. Ver. 6. Nor for the pestilence, nor for destruction. cxii. 7. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. Ver, 8. Ps. ¿xviii. 6. The Lord is on my side, I shall not fear. Prov. i. 33. Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. 9 xxix. 25. The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso puttethhis trust in the Lord shall be safe. Ch. iii. 21 to 25. ་ Isa. xif. 2. God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. Isa. xli. 10. Fear not thou therefore, I am with thee, saith the Lord. Ver. 13, 14. Ch. xxxv. 4. Ch. xliii. 15.-li. 7, 12.—liv. 4, 14. Jer. i. 8.—xxiii. 4.-xxx. 10.-xxxix. 17—xlvi. 27, 28.—li. 46. Mic. iv. 4. They shall sit every man, under his vine, and under his fig-tree, and none shall make him afraid. Zeph. iii. 13, 16. Matt. x. 26. Fear them not. Luke i. 74.-xxi. 8. John xii. 15. Luke xii. 4. Be not afraid of them that kill the body. Ver. 32. Acts xviii. 9. Then spake the Lord to Paul, be not afraid for I am with thee. Ver. 10. Rom. viii. 15. We have not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear, but of adoption. Tim. i. 7. Phil. 1. 14. The brethren spake the word without fear. Heb. ii. 15. Christ took part of flesh and blood, that he might deliver them, who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage. 1 Pet iii. 14. If ye suffer for righteousness sake, be not afraid of their terror. Matt. v. 10. 1 John iv. 18. There is no fear in love. Rev. 17. Fear not, for I am the first and the last. Ch. ii. 20. See Gen. xxi. 17. Exod. xx. 20. Numb. xiv. 9.—xxi. 34. Deut. vii. 18, 19, 21.—xx. 1, 3.—xxxi. 6, 8. Jos. xi. 6. 2 Kings i. 15. 2 Chron. xx. 17. Neh, iv..14. Ps. xlix. 5, 16.—lxxviii. 53. Isa. vii. 4, 25.—viii. 12. -xiv. 3.-xl. 9. Dan. x. 12. Joel ii. 2. Matt. viii. 26. Mark iv. 40. Luke xxi. 9. John xii. 15. Zech. ix. 9. Acts xxvii. 24. Heb. xi. 23. CXXXII. Confidence of the wicked. Job xxxi. 24. If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold thou art my confidence. Ver. 28. This also were iniquity. Ps. cxviii. 8. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. Ver. 9. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in princes. Prov. xiv. 16. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil, but a fool rageth, and is confident. xxi. 22. A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the confidence thereof. xxv. 19. Confidence in an unfaithful man, in time of trouble, is, like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. Jer. ii. 37. The Lord hath rejected thy confidence in Egypt and Assyria. Ezek. xxix. 16. xlviii. 13. The house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence. Kings xii. 29. Rom. ii. 19. Thou art confident that thou art a guide of the blind.. Phil. iii. 3. Have no confidence in the flesh. CXXXIII. Assurance of the righteous. Isa. xxxii. 17. The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever. See John iii. 19. SEEKING GOD.. CXXXIV. Seeking God commanded. Ps. xxvii. 8. When thou saidst, seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek. cv. 4. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Isa. viii, 19. Should not a people seek to their God. Iv. 6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. See Amos v. 1. Acts xv. 17.-xvii. 27. Isa. xi. 10. There shall be a root of Jesse, (i. e. Christ) to it shall the Gentiles seek. CXXXV. God is to be sought with all the heart. Deut. iv. 29. Thou shalt find the Lord if thou seek him, with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Jer. xxix. 13, 14. Ps. cxix. 2. Blessed are they that seek the Lord with their whole heart. 1 Chron. xxii. 19. Set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Isa. xxvi. 9. With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seck thee early. Ps. Ixiii. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee. CXXXVI. Promises to them that seek God. See the first two texts in the last section. Ezra viii. 22. The hand of God is upon all them for good, that seek him, but his power and his wrath is against ail them that for sake him. Ps. ix. 10. Thou Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. xxxiv. 10. They that seek the Lord, shall not want any good thing. Ixix 32. Your heart shall live that seek the Lord. Prov. viii. 17. Those that seek me early shall find me. Isa. xlv. 19. I said not unto the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain. Lam. iii. 25. The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Hos. x. 12. Seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Amos v. 4. Thus saith the Lord to the house of Israel, seek ye me and ye shall live. Ver. 6. Seek the Lord and ye shall live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el. Ver. 8. Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, that turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night, &c. Ver. 9. Zeph. ii. 3. Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgments, seek righteousness, seek meekness, it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. Matt. vii. 7. Seek and ye shall find. Ver. 8. He that seeketh findeth. 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. 2 Chron. xv. 2. Heb. xi. 6. God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. See Job viii. 5, 6. Ps. xxii. 26. CXXXVII. Prayers for them that seek God. 2 Chron. xxx. 18. Hezekiah prayed, saying, good Lord, pardon every one, Ver. 19. That prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. Ver. 20. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. Ps. Ixix. 6. Let none of those that seek thee be confounded. lxx. 4. Let all those that seek thee, rejoice and be glad in thee, and let such as love thy salvation say continually, the Lord be mag. nified. cv. 3. Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord, 1 Chron. xvi. 10. CXXXVIII, Examples of God's people seeking him, 2 Chron. xi. 16, Out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers, and would not worship calves set up by Jeroboam. 2 Chron. xiv. 4. Asa commanded Judah to seek the Lord God o their fathers, and to do the law and the commandments. Ver. 7. xv. 12. Israel entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God c their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. Ver. 13. And that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of I rael, should be put to death. 2 Kings xxiii. 3. Neh. x. 29. 2 Chro xxiv. 31. xvii. 3 The Lord was with Jehosaphat. Ver. 4. Because he sougt the Lord God of his fathers, and walked in his commandments. C. xix. 3.-xx. 3.-xxii. 9. xxvi. 5. Uzziah sought God, and as long as he sought the Loi, God made him prosper. Ver. 7. 2 Chron. xxxi. 21. In every work that Hezekiah began in the stvice of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandmers, to seek God, he did it with all his heart and prospered. Ezra vi. 21. The children of Israel separated themselves from e filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seck the Lord Godf Israel. vii. 10. Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord ad to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. Job v. 8. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I connit my cause. Ps. xxiv. 6. This is the generation of them that seek him. xxxiv. 4. I sought the Lord, he heard and delivered me fronall my fears. Ch. lxxvii. 2. Song iii. 2. I will seek him whom my soul loveth. Ch. vi. I. Isa. xxvi. 9. With my Spirit within me, will I seek thee early Dan. ix. 3. I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by piyer and supplications, with fastings and sackcloth and ashes. Mal. iii. 1. The Lord (Christ) whom ye seek shall come.&c. Isa. 1. 4, 5. Hos. iii. 5. Zech. viii. 21, 22... NOT SEEKING GOD. CXXXIX. The wicked seek not God. 2 Chron. xvi. 2. Asa i his disease, sought not to the Lord but to the physicians. Ps. x. 14. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God, God is not in all his thoughts, xiv. 2. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the childrn of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek Gd. Ver. 3. They are all gone aside. Ps. liii. 2. Rom. iii. 11. CXL. The wicked seek not God aright. 2 Chron. xii. 14. Rehoboam prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. Isa. Iviii. 2. They seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinances of their God; they seek of me, the ordinances of justice, they take delight in approaching unto God. Ver. 3. In the day of your fast, ye exact all your labours, ye fast for strife. John vi. 26. Threats against the wicked, who seek not God aright. Ps. lxxxiii. 16. Fill their faces with shame, O Lord, that they may seek thy name. Ps. cxix. 155. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they seek not thy statutes. Prov. i. 8. They shall seek me early, but shall not find me. Isa. ix. 13. The people turned not to them that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. Ver. 14. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel, head and tail, &c. Hos. vii. 10, 13, 14, 16. xxxi. 1. Woe to thein that go down to Egypt, that stay on horses, hat trust in chariots, but look not to the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord. Ch. xxii. 21. Jer. x. 21. The pastors are become brutish, and have not sought he Lord, therefore they shall not prosper and all their flocks shall e scattered. Hos. v. 5. The pride of Israel doth testify to his face, therefore hall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity. Ver. 6. They shall go with their locks and their herds, to seek e Lord, but they shall not find him, he, hath withdrawn himself bm them. Ver. 15. I will go and return to my place, saith the Lord, till they knowledge their offence, and seek my face, in their affliction they ill seek me early. Zeph. i. 6. John vii. 34. Jesus said, ye shall seek me, and shall not find me. viii. 21. Ye shall seek me, and die in your sins. DRAWING NEAR TO GOD. CXLI. Drawing near to God. Lev. x. 3. The. Lord spake saying, I ill be sanctified in all them that come nigh me, and before all the pople will I be glorified. Sam. xiv. 36. The priest said, let us draw near to God... 's. lxv. 4. Blessed is the man whom thou causest to approach unto hee. xxiii. 28. It is good for me, that I draw near to God. er. xxx. 21. I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach und me. er. 22. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. leb. x. 22. Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of aith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, Ch.vii. 19. Jmes iv. 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. : Ia. xxix. 13. The wicked draw nigh with their lips only. Matt. xy.. Ezek. xxxiii. 31. COMING TO GOD. CXLII. Coming to God. Ps. lxv. 2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Isa. xlv. 24. In the Lord have I righteousness and strength, even to him shall all men come. lv. 3. Incline your ear, and come unto me, hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. |